Lt. Governor Tina Smith, Department of Employment and Economic Development Announce $26 Million for 39 Broadband Projects Across Greater Minnesota

New round of grants will expand high-speed internet access to 9,973 households, 2,169 businesses, and 60 community institutions in Greater Minnesota

New state grant funding will leverage an additional $34 million in private and local funding

State grant program has invested a total of $85 million, provided 33,852 households, 5,189 businesses, and 300 community institutions broadband access since 2014

Lt. Governor Tina Smith and the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced the 2017 Border-to-Border Broadband Grant recipients. The grants total $26 million for 39 broadband infrastructure projects that will provide 9,973 households, 2,169 businesses, and 60 community institutions across Minnesota access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. 

The funding, which comes from a combination of $20 million approved during the 2017 legislative session, plus carryover from previous grant rounds, goes to broadband providers and communities to build out wireline and fixed wireless broadband infrastructure to Greater Minnesota. 

Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith secured the $20 million to expand high-speed internet access during the 2017 Legislative Session, after first proposing a $66 million investment. Overall, the Dayton-Smith Administration has proposed more than $210 million for rural high-speed internet development since 2014.

“It’s not fair when almost 20 percent of Greater Minnesota households don’t have the same high-speed internet connections as their friends and family in the cities,” said Lt. Governor Smith. “The grants we are announcing today will help level the playing field and expand educational, health and job opportunities for thousands of Minnesotans. We have made important progress, but too many Minnesotans still lack access to the promise of the 21st Century. We must do more to ensure border-to-border high-speed internet access across Minnesota.”

The 2017 Border-to-Border Broadband Grant recipients represent all technologies eligible for the funding: fiber optic, cable, fixed wireless, and DSL. Internet providers from all regions of the state also are represented.

“Access to quality, affordable broadband is a tool that levels the playing field for Minnesotans all across the state,” said DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy. “This funding, and the private investment leveraged from it, will soon allow even more individuals, communities and businesses the opportunity to access the internet at speeds that meet today’s demands.”

Minnesota’s Border-to-Border Broadband Development Program provides internet providers grants to expand broadband service to areas of Minnesota that are unserved or underserved. The funding pays for up to 50 percent of the cost of developing broadband for improved high-speed internet in communities across the state.

Dayton-Smith Administration’s Broadband Investment

Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith have proposed $211 million in funding to expand affordable, reliable broadband internet access in Greater Minnesota since 2014. The Dayton-Smith Administration has secured a total of $85 million in total for broadband infrastructure expansion. This funding expanded reliable, afford broadband access to 33,852 households, 5,189 businesses, and 300 community institutions broadband access since 2014. More information about past projects funded can be found here. 

The Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, a nonpartisan group charged with analyzing Minnesota’s broadband needs, recommended $100 million in on-going biennial funding for the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program in its 2016 Annual Report. In 2015, the Task Force determined a total investment of at least $900 million is needed to ensure that all Minnesotans have broadband internet regardless of where they live.

2017 Broadband Infrastructure Grant Awards

This fall, Lt. Governor Smith and DEED are announcing 39 projects in communities across Minnesota. Below is a description of the projects and the amount of funding awarded in the latest round.

• MVTC (Minnesota Valley Telephone Company, Inc.), Milroy Broadband Project – $742,365. This last mile project will serve 246 unserved households and 22 unserved businesses in the Milroy Broadband Project located in both Redwood and Lyon Counties. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, the Minnesota Valley Telephone Company, Inc. will improve broadband service levels to 1 Gbps down and 1 Gbps up, exceeding the 2026 state speed goal. The broadband investments will promote rural economic development and transform through increased opportunity for home-based business options, education, health care, energy efficiency, and public safety. The total eligible cost is $1,903,500, with a $1,161,135 local match.

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